Pix from AAEC, Part 1: Banquets and other Assorted Partying

The Cartoonists With Attitude crew was out in full force at the 50th Anniversary Convention of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists earlier this month. I had 200+ photos, which I've cut down quite a bit and divided into sets. Here's a select few photos from the first bit (which you can also see all 32 photos as a slideshow):

Tom Tomorrow, August Pollak, Mikhaela Reid and Masheka Wood at the AAEC opening cocktail reception

Brian McFadden makes a fist; Keith Knight picks his nose at the AAEC banquet afterparty; Engaged cartoonists Mikhaela Reid and Masheka Wood at the AAEC banquet

Ted Rall and Tim Eagan at the AAEC banquet; JP Trostle Vandalizes the Signage at the AAEC Hospitality Suite

Joel Pett and Stephanie McMillan; Matt Bors, Masheka Wood and August Pollak; Keith Knight and Masheka Wood

Cartoonists With Attitude Partial Group Photo at the AAEC Banquet (Back row L to R: Mikhaela Reid, Brian McFadden, August Pollak, Keith Knight, Ben Smith; Front row L to R: Jen Sorensen, Matt Bors, Ruben Bolling)

Democratic Presidential Candidate Dennis Kucinich and wife Elizabeth Kucinich at the AAEC Banquet

As you can see, Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich was our banquet guest speaker. I have to admit that as much as I've been a big fan of Kucinich's positions on pretty much everything, I was in such a hyped up mood (perhaps a result of sharing one small hotel suite with 5 other cartoonists for four days) that I didn't really pay attention to his speech.

Coming up: coverage of AAEC and CWA panels and signings, etc.

Bush Leaguers Art Opening: Lisa Wilson, Helen Thomas and Mikhaela Reid

Bush Leaguers Art Opening:
United Media SVP/General Manager Lisa Wilson, reporter Helen Thomas and cartoonist Mikhaela Reid at the Bush Leaguers political cartoon opening at American University in DC.
Originally uploaded by M1khaela.

I'm finally going through my 200+ photos from the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists 50th Anniversary convention in DC earlier this month. I'll have writeups and a lot more soon, but here's one of my favorite photos, of Lisa Wilson and myself with reporter Helen Thomas after Ms. Thomas gave one of the best speeches I'd ever heard. Helen Thomas for president!

Attention non-virgins: you're nothing but a used-up linty piece of tape

Saw this in the NY Times a few days ago, and had to mention despite my obscene lack of sleep lately:

“You have to look at why sex was created,” Eric Love, the director of the East Texas Abstinence Program, which runs Virginity Rules, said one day, the sounds of Christian contemporary music humming faintly in his Longview office. “Sex was designed to bond two people together.”

To make the point, Mr. Love grabbed a tape dispenser and snapped off two fresh pieces. He slapped them to his filing cabinet and the floor; they trapped dirt, lint, a small metal bolt. “Now when it comes time for them to get married, the marriage pulls apart so easily,” he said, trying to unite the grimy strips. “Why? Because they gave the stickiness away.”

Huh? More on this from Feministing.

Photo from my NPR interview

DC AAEC slideshow - 32
Originally uploaded by JapeNet.

Courtesy of JP Trostle.

Watch Me Read My Cartoons: Video from Green Brain Comics Signing

Couldn't make it to one of our book signings? Now you can experience it on the internet! Jon Hickey Productions put together a fantastic video piece of our June 9 signing at Green Brain Comics in Dearborn, in which you can see me reading some cartoons from Attack of the 50-Foot Mikhaela! and telling behind-the-comics-scenes stories:

Mikhaela Reid and Masheka Wood at Green Brain Comics part 1
Uploaded by jonhickeyproductions

And here's the Masheka Wood portion of the presentation:

Masheka Wood and Mikhaela Reid at Green Brain Comics part 2
Uploaded by jonhickeyproductions

Mikhaela in the news: "Political cartoonists sing hail to the chief"

My cartoon "Bush vs. My Cat" (above) is currently featured in the exhibit "Bush Leaguers: Cartoonists Take On the White House" (at American University's Katzen Museum in DC, on view through July 29). I've even been mentioned in an article about the piece in the Examiner:

Through “Bush vs. My Cat,” freelancer Mikhaela Reid envisions a battle of wits. One of several women selected for the show, this hot hand is among the growing number of female cartoonists.

Full article here (warning: link is to a PDF).

I was also included in a story in Editor and Publisher about the AAEC convention panel on cartoonists and blogging. I was actually in the audience, but panelist Tom Tomorrow kindly suggested I might have two cents to put in:

Mikhaela Reid, speaking from the audience, said cartoonists such as herself who aren't daily newspaper staffers often want to do a blog because it helps build readership. She added that freelance or self-syndicated creators may not do as many editorial cartoons each week as staff creators do, so a blog can be "a valuable place to vent" when not drawing a cartoon that day.

Which I did.

Mikhaela on Morning Edition Monday

I'm going to be appearing on Morning Edition on NPR Monday at 5:21, 7:21 or 9:21 depending on your local affiliate. How cool is that? Here's the link, which will contain live audio after 9 a.m. Monday....

Our Newly Rescued Orange Manx Kitty: Octavia

Rescued Orange Manx Kitty: Octavia
Originally uploaded by M1khaela.

Masheka and I are off to Washington, DC for the 50th Anniversary Convention of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists. We'll be hanging out with the Cartoonists With Attitude crew (AAEC Vice President Ted Rall, plus Keith Knight, Jen Sorensen, Matt Bors, Brian McFadden, Stephanie McMillan, Ruben Bolling, August Pollak, Ben Smith) and a huge convention of famous-type editorial cartoonists (Tom Toles, Joel Pett, Clay Bennett, Signe Wilkinson, Rob Rogers and many many more!) plus special guests like Tom Tomorrow, Duncan Black and the Comics Curmudgeon. I may even bring a laptop and blog about some of the panels.

In our absence, I leave you with this photo of our newly rescued cat, Octavia, kneading me with her claws as I try to finish up the Cartoonists With Attitude Slideshow for our event this Saturday.

We've felt for a while that our other cat Riley was lonely and just too friendly and social and playful to stay home by himself while we're at work. A rescue group in our neighborhood saved this little orange fuzzball from the euthanasia queue at Animal Care and Control. We barely had her home for a few hours before she decided she had to sit in one of our laps 24/7.

We named her Octavia to (a) pay tribute to the late great science fiction writer Octavia Butler and because (b) she seems like one of the weird alien creatures from Ms. Butler's books, with her giant orange eyes, her taillessness (she's a Manx cat, and apparently this is how many of them are born) and her weird bunny-style gait.

Her political affiliations are yet to become clear, but hopefully she'll be more progressive than our other cat.

I must add that lazy and unapologetic as other other cat is, he'd never have pardoned Scooter Libby.